Israeli airlines end strike after agreement with Finance Ministry

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Three Israeli airlines ended their two-day strike following a deal struck between the Finance Ministry and El Al.

The ministry agreed to fund 97.5 percent of the airline’s security costs, up from 70 percent, in order to keep the domestic carrier competitive under the new "open skies" agreement with the European Union. The airlines also agreed to undergo a streamlining process in order to further cut costs.

El Al, as well as Israir and Arkia, on Sunday launched an open-ended strike hours before the European-Mediterranean Sea aviation agreement was approved by Israel’s Cabinet. The agreement, which allows European airlines to increase their flights to Israel for five years, could substantially decrease the costs of airline tickets for Israeli travelers to Europe.

Ben Gurion Airport workers had been set to launch a sympathy strike on Tuesday morning.